By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
It appeared, at first, that St. Joseph Central had won the jamboree.
On Benton's final varsity snap on offense in the third quarter, Central senior Nathan Mense buried Benton quarterback Jaxson Rich for a sack, and it appeared to be over.
Then, before the game was actually, officially over, much of Central's sideline rushed the field in celebration after Mense's sack. This prompted a dead ball, unsportsmanlike penalty.
This gave the Benton varsity offense one more snap - a first and goal at the 10-yard line. Rich rolled right, found senior Devon Hoffman on the inner edge of the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown, lifting the Cardinals to a 21-18 victory over the Indians.
Benton, who beat Lafayette in the first period 18-0, won the city jamboree Friday for the first time since 2015.
"It was a crazy finish," Benton coach Kevin Keeton said on the Cliff Notes Podcast afterward. "That had to be exciting for the fans."
The Cardinals started the event with a bang, as senior Bishop Rush cracked the end zone on a five-yard run, which was followed by a 30-yard touchdown pass to senior Denver Domann.
Junior Andrew Daughtery had an 11-yard touchdown rush later in the quarter, giving the Cardinals an 18-0 lead. The Benton defense then held Lafayette to just 11 total yards and didn't allow the Irish a single first down.
Central's offense put on a show in the second quarter. The Indians kept the ball on the ground for the most part, as sophomore Gabe Fields scored rushing touchdowns from one, 25 and 12 yards out.
Senior quarterback Stone Wetlaufer also found senior Asher Katakis for a 12-yard score, leading the Indians to a 24-3 win over Lafayette. Just like Benton, Central's defense held the Irish out of the end zone.
This set up a winner take-all third quarter between Benton and Central, who will meet in the regular season in the South Side on September 2.
The Indians got the ball first and went to work, as Fields scored his fourth touchdown of the night from three yards out to put Central ahead 6-0. On the very next play, Wetlaufer took off on a 25-yard touchdown run.
After that, Fields scored for a fifth time - this one from 13 yards out. The Indians went up 18-0 in just a handful of snaps.
Then suddenly, the tides started to turn Benton's way. Domann had a strip sack on Wetlaufer, which ended in a fumble recovery for Brodie Hendrix. A fumble recovery or interception resulted in three points for the team that forced the turnover.
On Central's final varsity snaps on offense, Domann would force another fumble from Wetlaufer on a quarterback run. That fumble was recovered by Brett Henderson. Then, Devon Hoffman intercepted Wetlaufer on a short route, further closing the gap.
When Benton took over on offense, they were down 18-9. The Cardinals needed two touchdowns to take the lead and had 12 snaps to do so.
Central forced Benton into a turnover on downs on the Cardinals' first four offensive snaps, but a pass interference penalty against the Indians in the end zone set Benton up with a first and goal at the five.
Rush scored from five yards out to make it 18-15 Central with just a few snaps left for the Cardinals. Mense's sack on Rich would have ended it, but Benton was rewarded the extra, game winning play due to the dead ball penalty on Central.
"I'm just happy our kids got to experience this success on this big of stage," Keeton said. "They've earned the right to feel good about themselves. I feel good about us.
Rich was 8-of-13 through the air Friday for 80 yards passing and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 11 yards and a score.
Central's Gabe Field was very productive, finishing with 112 yards on 10 carries and five touchdowns. Wetlaufer had 54 all-purpose yards and two all-purpose scores.
Benton travels to Northeast Kansas City to officially open the season next week. Central is home to Ruskin, and Lafayette is home to Center.
Benton and Lafayette will see each other in the North Side on September 9.
Full game broadcast:
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